If You Can't Stand The Heat
by Zhailei
Summary: A heat wave hits Santa Barbara. A crime wave isn't far behind. Shawn/Juliet.


"This is ridiculous," Shawn said, fanning himself with a folded piece of paper. His hands were damp with sweat, his shirt clinging lazily to his body, and he glanced at the clock.

It was still morning, hours away from the hottest part of the day. That didn't bode well.

Gus didn't look at him, frowning in concentration at his desk. "You didn't think this was going to happen?"

"I didn't know it was going to happen." At Gus' look, Shawn held out his hands in front of him. "What? It's not always this hot in summer."

"In Santa Barbara?"

"Fine," he said. "But it's not my fault the air conditioning stopped working."

"Shawn, you were supposed to call the repairman a week ago."

"Like you couldn't call the repairman, either?"

"You said you had already done it."

"Did I?" Shawn asked. Gus stared at him, unamused, and he shrugged. "Well, I was planning to. Anyway, how was I supposed to know it would take them three days to get out here?"

"Maybe because it's summer, and a lot of people are getting air conditioning systems installed?"

"Whatever," Shawn said, ignoring the logic in Gus' argument. "You want to get some ice cream?"

"Shawn," Gus said, the irritation in his voice kicking up a notch, "I'm a little busy here."

"One little ice cream."

"No."

"Well, then, how about we go down to the beach?" he asked. Gus opened his mouth to speak, and Shawn held up a hand to forestall him. "Come on, it's right there."

"What part of me being busy did you not understand?"

"You can work at the beach," Shawn pointed out, in what he thought was a perfectly reasonable tone.

"I cannot work at the beach."

"Of course you can. You're working on a laptop. Just unplug it and bring it along."

"The beach is covered in sand," Gus said, and kept speaking before Shawn could point out the obviousness of the statement. "If the sand gets in my laptop, it'll stop working, and then I'll have all this paperwork to finish and no way to get it done."

"Come on," Shawn said, and darted forward, grabbing the computer before Gus could stop him. "It's not going to break. Just think about how much better we'd feel if we were sitting on the beach right now."

"Shawn," Gus said, his tone serious. "Give that back."

"I'm serious, it's not -"

Gus lunged for the laptop, and Shawn spun away from him, taking a couple of steps back. His grip on the computer shifted, and it slipped from his hands, hitting the desk with a loud thump.

There was silence for a minute as Gus stared down at the desk.

"Is it okay?" Shawn asked.

"No, Shawn," Gus said. "It's broken."

"Oh." He paused. "Listen, man, I'm sorry. But, hey, what do you say we go down to the beach and forget about it?"

Gus said nothing. Very loudly.

"Come on," he said. "I think taking a little break is what we both need right now."

"But my computer -"

"Relax," Shawn said, already leading Gus out of the office. "I'll call the repairman this this afternoon."

-

"Look, how many times do I have to tell you I'm sorry?"

"At least once more would be nice."

"I'm sorry," Shawn said, pausing as the cool air of the Santa Barbara Police Department hit him. At least their air conditioning was still working. "But I did buy you a double-triple chocolate ice cream cone."

"Yes, you did."

"Double scoop." He paused. "And it's not my fault that kid knocked it out of your hands and then the dog ate it."

Gus shrugged, but Shawn could swear he heard him mutter something under his breath.

"And I got you that girl's phone number," he said. "Which never would have happened if I hadn't dragged you out to the beach."

"I would have got her number without you," Gus said petulantly. Shawn clapped him on the back, and strode forward to where Lassiter and Juliet were waiting.

Juliet was dressed for the heat, in a breezy, short-sleeved cotton shirt and no pantyhose. Lassiter, unsurprisingly, was not; he still wore a suit and tie, and Shawn could feel his temperature go up just looking at him.

"So," Shawn said, shifting his gaze from Lassiter back to Juliet. "What's the emergency? Or did you just miss me?"

Lassiter snorted.

"Hardly," Juliet said, without malice. "We got a call about a fire downtown, and we're trying to find out what caused it."

"And you thought of me," he said. "I'm touched."

Juliet rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Let's just get this over with," Lassiter said.

Shawn waved a hand back towards the entrance of the building. "I'm ready when you are."

-

"Wow," Shawn said, letting out a low whistle as they stepped inside the former fast food restaurant. "You weren't kidding about the fire."

Lassiter looked impatient. "Just tell us if you can ... sense anything."

"Patience," he said, looking around the room. No obvious signs of what might have started the fire, but then, he has been expecting as much. "The spirit world doesn't like to be rushed."

"Whatever," Lassiter muttered, and Shawn took a step forward.

The walls of the restaurant were blackened and peeling, and the windows were stained dark with ash. To one side stood an old drinks machine, badly busted, looking like it had been damaged on one side. Beyond the counter, Shawn could see into the kitchen, which looked like it had fared slightly better than the rest of the building.

He paused, pressing his the tips of fingers to his temples. "I'm sensing that the fire originated in here."

Lassiter rolled his eyes.

"This," Shawn intoned, putting as much dramatic emphasis as he could into the words, "was no accident."

"I'm going to go check out the exterior of the building," Lassiter said, sounding bored. "O'Hara, you stay here and keep an eye on Spencer."

Juliet nodded, keeping a wary eye on Shawn, and he winked at her, moving forward through the building. He ran a hand along the counter, sniffing at the dark residue, and stepped into the kitchen.

Juliet followed him. "I thought you said the fire didn't originate in here."

He glanced at her. "It didn't."

"So what are we doing in here?"

"Jules," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. They left black streaks across the fabric of her shirt, and he pulled back apologetically. "The spirits tell me where to go. I don't question them."

She frowned, looking down at her shirt, and he took another step forward. There was a door off to the side of the kitchen, and he opened it, peering in.

The cold hit him immediately, and he took a step into the walk-in freezer, letting the cool air settle around him. It was a welcome change from the oppressive heat outside, and he moved to the back of the room, looking around for any clues that might keep him there a little while longer.

"Oh, wow," Juliet said behind him, and he turned to see her standing in the doorway. She breathed in deeply. "Shawn, I don't think the fire started in here."

He only half-heard her. "Jules, come take a look at this," he said, peering down at one of the shelves.

"It's a screwdriver," she said flatly. "Shawn, what -"

She was cut off by the sound of the door swinging shut behind them, and Shawn turned, rushing towards it.

"No," Juliet said as he tried the handle. "Shawn, tell me we did not just get stuck in here."

"We did not just get stuck in here," he said.

"Really?"

"No, we're totally stuck," he said, leaning against the door. Juliet's face fell, and he moved towards her.

"I can't believe you got me into this," she said, and he held his hands up in front of him defensively.

"Me? You're the one who didn't secure the door." He tilted his head. "In fact, a less trusting person might assume that you wanted to be trapped in here with me."

She moved past him towards the door, and he grabbed her waist, spinning her around.

"Not that I would ever assume that," he finished.

"You wouldn't?"

"I wouldn't." He ran a hand down her arm. "But we do need to conserve our energy."

"Shawn -"

"Now, we don't necessarily have to be naked, but it might help. We will, however, have to share body heat."

She didn't look amused. Well, maybe a little. "I'm not getting naked with you, Shawn."

"Topless?"

"How about you try to figure out what started the fire, so we can leave as soon as someone gets us out of here?"

"Suggestion noted," he said. "But I already know what started the fire."

She stared at him. "And?"

He looked around them. "What, here? Jules, come on, you have to respect the process. If I tell you now, I'm just going to have to repeat it out there, and it's not nearly as impressive the second time."

She sighed. "Whatever."

He inclined his head. "Thank you."

After a minute, the cold air was beginning to sink in, making goosebumps stand out on his skin, and he glanced over at Juliet. She was trying her best to look nonchalant, unbothered by the cold, but she was shivering a little, her hands folded tightly over her bare arms. Shawn stepped forward, his arms held out placatingly, and rubbed at her shoulders.

"Shawn," she said, "what are you doing?"

"I'm keeping you warm," he said, drawing her a little closer to him. "Don't worry, no nakedness required."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't push him away, which he took as an encouraging sign. He pulled her gently forward until her body was nearly pressed against his, and wrapped his arm around her.

"It really isn't that cold," she said, tilting her head up to look at him. When he looked down, her face was only a few inches from his, her lips pulled into a tight smile. His breath was visible between them, a cloud of warm mist, and he felt his breathing quicken.

"I know," he said after a moment. The way they were standing, he didn't feel cold at all.

"So you can probably let go of me."

"Yeah," he said, but didn't move. He could feel Juliet's breath warm on his cheek, and she shifted a little, bringing her face closer to his. He struggled to get his thoughts back under control. "Oh, you mean now?"

"Yeah," she said, but the word lacked enthusiasm. Shawn dropped his hands, letting them fall to his sides, and took a step back. He looked at Juliet; she was trying, not very successfully, to hide a smile, and he felt himself smiling in return.

"So," he said. He wondered if he had suddenly stepped into a cold spot; he was sure his temperature had dropped a few degrees.

"So," she echoed quietly.

"We should -"

He was interrupted by a noise behind them, and Juliet looked past him over his shoulder. Her expression brightened, and she rushed past him, still shivering, through the door being held open by Gus.

Gus raised an eyebrow, and Shawn sagged against the wall.

"Dude," he said. "We really have to work on your timing. I was this close."

"This close to what?" Gus asked, looking around.

"To getting Juliet to fall in love with me."

"Sure you were," Gus said, not sounding entirely convinced. "What were you two doing in here, anyway?"

Shawn shrugged. "I came in here to look around. Juliet followed me."

"And?"

"And then we were trapped."

Gus looked down at the handle of the door. "You know these things don't actually lock from the inside, right? You could have got out at any time."

Shawn spared a glance at the door as he left, gathering himself up for the big finish. Outside the freezer, the hot air was almost welcome.

"They don't?" he asked, keeping his voice neutral.

Gus looked back at him impassively.

"Huh. I guess I must have missed that."

-

"Dude, are you coming, or what?"

Gus looked up, his expression serious. "Shawn, I'm working."

Shawn let out a dismissive snort. "You're always working."

"No, I'm not. In fact, I haven't been working for the past three days, thanks to you breaking my computer."

Shawn leaned against the desk, looking at the computer. "That thing's fixed?"

"Yes, it is," Gus said. "No thanks to you. I had to call the repairman myself."

Shawn waved a hand. "Whatever. I'm sure that stuff can wait. Come on, I got us smoothies."

Gus ignored him, and Shawn straightened, pacing up and down in front of the desk. He stopped when the door opened, and looked up to see Juliet entering.

"Jules," he said, grabbing the extra smoothie and holding it out towards her. "Pineapple smoothie? I got it for Gus, but he doesn't want it."

"I never said -" Gus started, but Juliet was already reaching for the smoothie.

"Thanks," she said. "But that's not actually why I'm here. I just wanted to come down here and tell you that your hunch was correct. We already arrested the guy who started the fire."

"It wasn't a hunch," Shawn said, taking a sip of his own smoothie. "But thank you."

"Thank you," she said. "Without you, I don't know whether we would have caught him."

Gus muttered something that sounded like, "Why don't you thank him for locking you in a freezer," and Shawn covered it up with a cough.

"What was that?" Juliet asked.

"Nothing," Shawn said, steering her away from Gus. "Just a tickle in my throat. Tell the chief I'm always glad to help."

Gus cleared his throat.

"We're always glad to help," Shawn amended.

"Will do," Juliet said, turning to leave. Shawn reached out to catch her by the waist, turning her to face him.

"Wait," he said. "What are you doing now?"

"Right now?" she asked. "I'm working."

"And you took time out of your busy schedule just to come over here and thank me? Interesting." He left his hands where they were, resting lightly on Juliet's hips. "But, seriously, everyone's always working around here. Why don't you take the afternoon off? We can go down to the beach, do some swimming, maybe sunbathe topless?"

"I can't go to the beach with you, Shawn," she said, extricating herself but otherwise remaining in place. "I've got to get back to the station."

"Perfect," he said, finishing his smoothie and tossing the empty cup in the bin. "I was just heading over there myself."

"Really?" Juliet asked. She smiled at him, and he grinned.

"Really," he said, and shot a look at Gus which Gus pretended to ignore. "And then I was thinking we could go out for ice cream. Just you and me, my treat. What do you say?"

She shook her head, still smiling, and Shawn followed her out of the office.

After a minute, Gus followed them.


End file.
